


Happenstance

by Squid_Ink



Series: Waves and Flames [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: AU, College, F/M, Happenstance, Modern Day, Zutara Week 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-04-10 10:52:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4388978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squid_Ink/pseuds/Squid_Ink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zuko and Katara use to live next door to each other. Then one day Katara moves away and Zuko never sees her again until they go to the same college.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happenstance

_Katara looked at the phone charm. It was blue and white with three little tassels; the outer two had little snowflakes, while the inner one had a rain drop. She stared at the golden eyed boy that gave it to her, and a pout crossed her face. "I think it's stupid!" she shouted and tossed it on the ground. "Go away and leave me alone!" Katara screamed and stomped back to her house, in which she opened the door, entered and slammed it close again._

_Zuko stared, bewildered, at her reaction. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. He had heard the tragic news of Katara's mother dying, and desperate to help his neighbor, he asked his mother to help him make a charm. Clearly, Katara didn't like the phone charm. Zuko stooped and picked it up. He looked at it for several long moments before tossing it back on the ground. "Stupid!" he screamed and went back into his own house._

It was raining again. It always rained in Seattle. Zuko missed the sun at times, but he liked the campus of the University of Washington, so he couldn't complain too much, right? He sipped his coffee has he hitched up his bag higher onto his shoulder. At least he got away from his sister. She had decided to stay in Hawaii and study there. Ty Lee had gone to New York to study dance at some hoity-toity arts school, and Mai had followed him to the University of Washington. In fact, her annoyed  _ugh_  just broke through his train of thought. "It's always raining," Mai complained.

"Welcome to Seattle!" Zuko said with a mocking smile, he had the foresight to buy his cranky girlfriend coffee. "Coffee?" he offered it to Mai at just the same moment someone decided to run into them. Zuko watched as the offered cup of coffee slammed into his girlfriend and soaked her.

"Ugh!" Mai shrieked, backing away. "Watch where you're going!"

"Yeah…." Zuko's words died in his throat at the sight of the person than into them. Her skin was the color of mocha, with hair the color of chocolate and eyes blue as the sky. He recognized her but he couldn't remember where.

"I'm so sorry," the young woman said and pulled out some napkins she had shoved into her pocket and tried to wipe at Mai's coat.

"Back off," Mai hissed. "You've already done enough damage for one day."

"Jeez," the blue-eyed woman said, "I was just trying to help."

"Oi! Sugar Queen! Hurry up otherwise we're going to be late!" another girl called.

"Coming Toph!" the blue-eyed girl shouted. "Sorry again," she said and ran off to join her two friends. Zuko couldn't help but continue to stare at her, as he had seen a ghost. He started when Mai waved her hand in front of his face.

"Earth to Zuko!" she sounded annoyed.

"Uh…huh… yeah?" he looked at Mai, blinking once, twice, thrice.

"Do you know her? You were staring at her like you did?" Mai said, slipping her hand into his as they went in the opposite direction to their classes.

"I… don't know…" Zuko said. "I feel like I do. Do you remember Katara?"

"That girl you use to live next door to in Hawaii?"

"Yeah, her. Well… shortly after her mother died, she and her family moved to the mainland. I never saw them again."

"Lots of people could have blue eyes and dark skin," Mai pointed out.

"Yeah, maybe… but… I don't know," Zuko said and sipped his coffee. "You could be right," he said.

Mai yawned. "Let's talk about something else," she said. Zuko sighed, wishing he had a girlfriend that wasn't such a big blah.

 

He was doodling in the back of his art class, one of the few classes he had that didn't include Mai. "That looks like me," a woman said behind him. Zuko started and looked up. It was the same girl that ran into him and Mai this morning.

"Oh… uhm… it's not really good… and it could be anyone," Zuko stammered.

"Mind if we sit here?" she asked.

"Oh, no, go ahead!" Zuko said.

"Thanks, c'mon Aang," Katara said. Zuko watched as another guy followed the girl and sat next to her. He wore an orange shirt, dark green cargo pants and black sneakers, with a yellow jacket and a beanie with a blue arrow on it.

"Thanks for letting us sit next to you," Aang said.

Zuko grunted, "No problem."

"Hey, whatcha drawing?" Aang asked, leaning over the girl. Zuko sighed and showed the nosy guy. "Why are you drawing Katara?" Aang asked.

"Ka-Katara?" Zuko stammered.

"Yeah." Aang narrowed his eyes. "Katara," he pointed to the woman between them, "my girlfriend."

"Aang," Katara said. "We aren't dating." Katara said. "Aang, I've told you before that I'm not your girlfriend!"

Aang huffed and leaned back in his seat.

"Katara," Zuko breathed. Katara turned to look at him.

"Yeah?" Katara stared at Zuko for a long moment before her eyes widened in shock. "Zuko? Zuko Zhu?" Katara asked. Zuko nodded. "What happened to your face?"

"Oh… that…" Zuko touched the burn scar on his left cheek. "My father… he uhm… got drunk and well… burned me. This was after my mother mysteriously left. I was thirteen."

"Oh my god," Katara said. "Zuko, I'm so sorry."

"Don't," Zuko shook his head. "Just tell me: Are you really Katara Harmaajärvi?"

"How do you know her last name?" Aang butted in.

"I lived next to her when we were kids. You grandmother on your father's side was Sami or something."

"Gran-Gran was Sami, Gandpa was a Finn she met during WWII. After the war they immigrated to the United States and the rest is history as they say. Though, I'm surprised they ended up in Hawaii. Since Hawaii is the farthest thing from Finland, weather-wise," Katara said. "So, what have you been up to?" Katara asked.

Zuko was about to speak when the professor walked in. "I'll tell you over a cup of coffee sometime," he said. "But wow… I can't believe I ran into you."

"Happenstance," Katara said with a smile, but slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. The professor began to drone on and on, but Zuko wasn't listening for all he could focus on was Katara's warm hand.

It was several weeks later that Katara and Zuko finally got their coffee date. They swapped stories about what happened between them since Katara moved. "Sokka was chased by a moose?" Zuko asked, for clarification.

"Yep," Katara said. "Right up into a tree. Dad and Bato had to shoo it off before Sokka could come down. Word of warning. Moose are scary."

"I believe that. So you enjoyed Alaska?" Zuko asked.

"Oh, I loved it," Katara said. "But I also like Washington State. We were way up north in Alaska, away from the sea. Here, I'm close to the water and I feel so alive being near it."

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Zuko said. "So, what's the deal between you and Aang?"

"We're friends. He disagrees with that. We aren't dating," Katara said tersely and sipped at her coffee. "What about you and the goth girl you were with?"

"Mai? We've been friends since childhood. Dated in high school and she followed me here. Somewhere since high school are flame died or maybe it was never there in the first place."

"I see." Katara nodded.

"I uhm… here." Zuko pulled out the little charm.

"You… I remember this…" Katara breathed and took it from Zuko's grasp. "You gave this to me after my mother died and… I got so mad that I threw it away."

"I remember," Zuko licked his lips. "I've kept it since then."

"Why?" Katara looked up at him.

"Because… I love you," he breathed. "I've loved you since we were kids."

"Zuko…" Katara breathed and Zuko leaned across the table and cupped her cheek and gave her a tender kiss. Katara closed her eyes, melting into it. They stayed like that for several long moments before pulling away.

"I never thought I'd see you again," Zuko said. "Call it destiny or happenstance or whatever you like."

"Zuko?"

"I just wanted you to know how I felt," he said and stood up. "I'll be seeing you." Zuko smiled at Katara before walking out of the coffee shop. Katara stared after him then looked at the charm in her hand.

She bit her lip and closed her hand around the charm. Aang had recently asked her out and she hadn't given him an answer. Her dad and brother knew Aang, and they liked Aang but Katara just couldn't… she liked Aang as a friend. And now there was Zuko and he kissed her. Zuko… who understood her, laughed at her lame jokes, and didn't judged her when she began to cry when she brought of her mother.

Katara didn't remember getting up and running out into the rain. She didn't remember running after Zuko, who was crossing the street at the time. She vaguely remembered the cars honking as they kissed in the frigid rain in the middle of the crosswalk. All she really remembered was getting lost in Zuko's brilliant golden eyes and the fire that his kisses stoked deep inside her.

This wasn't happenstance.

It was destiny.

**Author's Note:**

> Avatar: The Last Airbender (c) Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
> 
>  
> 
> My first Zutara week since… 2008? 2009? Can't remember! Either way! It's been an insanely long time since my last one! And… DAMN! Does it feel good to write Zutara again!
> 
> The original idea was based off of a manga short I read in Honey Blood volume 0. Zuko was supposed to die, but he didn't. ^^
> 
> Katara's last name is Harmaajärvi, which is Finnish for "grey lake". I wanted an Inuit surname, but the name site I'm using didn't have that option.
> 
> Zuko's last name is Zhu, which is Chinese for "vermillion red" and was the name of the Ming Emperors. Rather fitting for the Fire Nation Prince.


End file.
